Underneath This Smile
by IkariOfDoom
Summary: It's senior year and Kyo's wonderng about the cage. Yuki's thinking about the facade he puts up and Tohru's just trying to get through school. But when sudden events take place, something springs up between the two boys and Tohru wants to help...KxY


_Author's Notes_: Yuki x Kyo. A tad bit dark songfic. It's senior year November and life is pretty much normal right now. There will be lemon later. Not lemonjuice, lemon. That's all you need to know for now. Title is Underneath This Smile by Hilary Duff.

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**_First Rotation: Who am I?_**

_What I'm standing on is sinking in._

_--Hilary Duff, Underneath This Smile_

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Kyo Sohma stood dripping in front of the bathroom mirror, little droplets sticking to the hair on his head and arms. A white towel was wrapped around his waist and he was leaning forward, supporting himself with his tanned arms as he stared critically into the mirror.

"Who am I? And where am I going?"

Kyo stared at himself. _What do I see?_

He saw an eighteen year old young man with highlighter orange hair. He saw strong features – average black eyes, a nose that wasn't big or small and normal ears. He glanced at the shoulders that had broadened out and He saw a boy who was waiting for the worst though the worst was yet far off. He hated and feared the Cage with distinct terror. He never wanted to be locked up but he didn't know if he could run away for good. There was so much to do and see and day before graduation. But the orange head would find away. Kyo saw someone who had one goal: survive.

But Kyo really didn't know what he was doing with his life. With his mom dead and his stepdad away, he felt like he didn't have much of a home. But now, with Tohru and Shigure and dumb ass Yuki, he couldn't help but feel comfortable. _But not for long. _His smile faded away and his thoughts wandered back to the Cage. He felt like he was living some kind of fantasy… or nightmare. The other members of the Zodiac looked on him with either fear, disgust or pity because of what he was and where he was going.

But Akhito couldn't possibly put him away like that. Surely, something would happen to change that fate for Akhito himself had never told Kyo what would happen.

He shook his head. Denial had never been beneficial.

"Kyo-kun?" Tohru called through the door. "Dinner's ready downstairs! Are you coming down?"

"Sure, whatever." He smiled as he replied. Tohru was one of the few lights in this surreal part of his life and he loved her so much it hurt. Tohru had accepted all of him when Kyo thought that few people ever would. She was his little sister and he'd never let anyone hurt her, if he had anything to do about it. She had helped him so much. He certainly wasn't as angry as he used to be though he still wanted to beat the shit out of Yuki's ass…just not in front of Shigure or Tohru. And he'd gotten a lot better at self-restraint.

His hate for the cat had only increased as Yuki taunted him more and more frequently this school year. It was getting quite difficult to hold in all the anger.

"Ok!" He heard her hum merrily as she walked away from the bathroom door. Well, it was time to get out of the bathroom. And Kyo was feeling hungry anyway.

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School had been hell today for Yuki Sohma. A determined member of his terrible fanclub had managed to grab his ass and another had taken his scarf. Now, Yuki lay flat out on his bed, still in his school uniform, as he stared at the ceiling with heavy eyes. He'd been there for two hours and it was only just then that his muscles began to relax. His eyes closed and shut out the room. He was all alone with himself again.

_When will they ever give up?_

Those terrible fanclub girls were getting bolder and bolder everyday. Yuki didn't know how to get them to leave him alone. And by now, they were fanatical about him…or what they perceived as the real him. Yuki acted like very other normal boy, he guessed, for no one could read him but the family. He walked and talked and worked and smiled but he wasn't very aware at school. It was just a couple of the few things one did to live, ne?

But it wasn't really him.

Yuki felt that Akhito had successfully taught him how to hide his feelings. It was easy to stop yourself from hating someone but it was impossible to stop from hating yourself.

He sighed and moved, the purple silver hair shifting over a little to the left on the white bed sheets. And that damn cat was still trying to beat him, almost worse than ever. Yuki didn't know what was motivating Kyo, but the cat didn't go down no where as easily as before. Yuki actually had to expend large amounts of energy to beat his cousin and fighting twice a day for one who ate little was detrimental.

There had been two fights earlier today – both begun when Yuki purposely provoked Kyo into a rage after an hour little jibes and sharp insults. The boy lying on the bed knew why he bugged his cousin – Kyo was a ready an available outlet into which he could knock out his frustrations. It seemed that _Kyo_ had been holding out because in senior year, the cat was certainly getting hard to beat. It was worth it though, and the satisfaction that he felt when Kyo was beaten and knocked down pleased him to no end.

_Now, now…_

Yuki was still exceptionally tired and he just wanted to go to sleep. His head was resting comfortably on the arms folded on the pillow and his legs were spread out haphazardly. His room was neat and almost painfully bare. It was just his bed, a dresser that held all his clothes then a desk at which his books were scattered over. He smiled to himself – a grim, pained smile.

"Yuki-san!" Tohru called to him through the door. "Dinner is ready downstairs so come down if you can!"

"H'ai, Honda-san." Yuki sighed. Two hours was a long time to zone out and just think. He sat up on the bed slowly, and tugged at his white school tie. Life moved on and there was always something else to do.

_Ah well._ It was time to go down to dinner - he could wallow in his feelings later.


End file.
